20% Voyages and Difcoveries. 



tion at the bottom of the bay. A great part of the crew went 

 on more; and here, for the firft time, we had an opportunity 

 of feeing the natives of the country. 



" The mores of this bay, thofe at lead: which we were able 

 to explore, prefent in general only downs, or fmall hills of 

 fand accumulated by the wind. Some (h rubs grow here, but 

 thinly fcattered, and the largeft are not fix feet in height. 

 Beyond thefe are low grounds covered with thick woods. 

 Among thefe, in particular, is diftinguilhed a kind of juni- 

 per. Thefe beautiful trees retain their foliage throughout the 

 whole year, grow very clofe to each other, and, as their tops 

 all rife to the fame height, they appear to the eye which views 

 them from the top of the downs like large meets of verdure 

 extended horizontally and attached to different trees which 

 lurround them. Their bark, which is exceedingly thick, 

 and five or fix lines in thicknefs, is employed by the inhabi- 

 tants for covering their huts, to make drefles to fecure them 

 from the cold, and as beds to fleep on. 



" The upper part of the foil confifts of a ftratum of vege- 

 table earth, of the colour of turf, at leaft fix inches in thick* 

 nefs. Below is found very black mofs earth. I collected 

 fome of it as a fpecimen. 



" This day I obtained feveral beautiful plants, among 

 which were a gnapbalium, with large flowers as white as 

 mow ; and an atriplex, with larger and longer leaves than 

 thofe of the bay laurel. I met with others which were 

 not new to me, and I even faw fome which grow in the 

 neighbourhood of Paris. Our excurfion ended with the day, 

 and it was night-fall when we returned on board. 



w It was intended that we mould fail from the bay next 

 morning; but the officers of the Naturalijle* : , who had 

 landed on a different part of the coaft, having reported to the 

 commodore that they had discovered a kind of river, it was 

 determined that the long- boat and a canoe mould be fent to 

 explore it. Every body wifhed to be of the party: the botanift, 

 the rnineralogift, the doctor, the commodore's fecretary, and 

 myfelf, were admitted. 



" This day was a day of misfortune. I had made a rich 

 collection of plants, and was returning loaded with them to 

 the landing-place, when I learned that the boat had run 

 aground, and that it was impofiible to get it afloat again. 

 The canoe fetout alone at ten in the evening, and the officer 

 who had charge of it promifed to ufe the utmoft difpatch to 

 inform the commodore of our difagreeable fituation. 



" The number of perfons on more being fixteen, we made 



* The other veiTd belonging to the expedition. 



an 



